Nothing Is Right Without Him
by IaspiretobeDarcy828
Summary: Tony is coping. Maybe. Okay, probably not. But it was fine, because Bucky was here. And Bucky would fix everything. (Or so Tony keeps telling himself.) Steve/Tony
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

They had expected Steve to have a complex. They would have been worried if he hadn't had the reaction that he did. But nobody expected Tony's reaction. Not Fury, who seemed to always know what reaction people were going to have, not Natasha, who spent almost all of the days in Stark Tower observing people, and certainly not Steve, who thought that no other Avengers would care that James "Bucky" Barnes had been found.

The Avenger had been living with each other for about two weeks. Admittedly, many of the ideas that the public had about Tony Stark were proven wrong as they moved into Stark Tower. Bruce was pleasantly surprised to realize that Tony Stark actually was a very good at sharing and was more than willing to let him take part in his experiments. Natasha was shocked to realize that Tony was actually a very nice person. He would drop what he was doing to help Steve or Thor with something they didn't understand no matter what it was. Clint was shocked that only was he not dating Pepper, but he hadn't brought a girl home once during their stay.

"Bucky?" Tony stuttered. The Avengers (minus Steve, who was currently staring at the Director with a dazed look) stared at him and then at the glass he had just dropped.

"I mean, there is another person who was frozen and came out of it alive?" He said a little desperately. He hoped that the others couldn't hear the hope in his voice.

"That's correct," Fury said. Tony swallowed with difficulty and left the room. The Avengers stared confusedly at his retreating back.

Tony wasn't sure he could do this anymore. Having to convince everybody that he was more than twenty years older than he really was, he could do that. Having to act like he hadn't known Steve before now, he could do that despite the fact that it was killing him inside. But if Bucky didn't remember Tony, he wasn't sure what he would do.

But right now he needed to get himself together. It was bad enough that he had raised their suspicions by leaving like that. Lord knows Steve would be concerned. Tony was doing his best to avoid Steve without actually avoiding Steve. The hard part about the whole thing was that Steve was still Tony's Steve. There was nothing different about him besides the fact that he didn't remember Tony. He was still the most kind, beautiful, and polite person on Earth.

"Are you alright Tony?" Pepper asked. Tony looked at her. Despite the rumors, they were just really good friends. Pepper was the only one alive who knew Tony's secret.

"I'm fine," Tony said, giving her his well practiced fake smile. He seemed to be using it more and more often these days. He yearned for the time when Steve could make him smile just by saying his name. It was different now, when Steve said his name. It wasn't filled with that godly amount of affection that Tony knew he didn't deserve but couldn't help but cherish. Steve had been his salve for all the aches that the world offered. And without Steve the world was wearing him down.

Bucky would help.

As long as he remembered him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Are you alright Tony?" Natasha asked him. She wasn't the most maternal person in the world, she would be the first to admit that. But she would do anything for the people she cared for, even if they didn't know that she actually did. Somehow Tony had managed to wiggle through her defenses, with his quick sarcasm and restless thought process, and had joined Clint on the other side.

"You look like crap," Clint said, much less subtle than she was. Tony snorted.

"Thank you Captain Subtle," Tony said, though it lacked his usual bite and even he knew it. He had barely gotten any sleep the night before, worrying about Bucky. Of course, he didn't sleep very often without Steve but usually he managed to get in about two hours of sleep a night. He probably got less than ten minutes last night. The funny thing about Clint's comment, at least funny to him, was that he actually had a butt ton of makeup on. Pepper helped him put it on every day to help him pull off the whole twenty to thirty years older than he really was look.

"I'm not a captain, that's Stevey-boy over here," Clint said, wrapping a playful arm around Steve's shoulder. Steve didn't even acknowledge it. He was lost in a sea of hopes and dread. Hope because it was Bucky and he missed his old life so much that it hurt. Dread because it was Bucky and what if he blamed Steve for what happened? Admittedly, his slightly painful crush on Tony was helping with the former.

"He doesn't seem to be in the mood for nicknames," Tony said, showing once again the kindness that the tabloids said wasn't there and the Avengers found surprising every single time. He glanced sideways at Steve for about the millionth time since they had gathered at a S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, this time to check once again that he was still breathing regularly. Tony knew that he no longer had asthma since he was injected with the serum but who knew when his body would fall back on its old habits? That was the reason for him checking on him half the time. The other half was because Steve was _fine_ and he couldn't help it if he was the most beautiful person on the planet and he wanted to stare at him. It had been a lot easier to appreciate Steve before, when he had exclusive staring rights.

"He's ready," Fury said, coming out of the small room that they had Sergeant James Barnes in and joining the Avengers in the hallway. Steve and Tony got unsteadily to their feet, everyone assuming because Steve was emotionally distressed and Tony was hung-over. The rest of the Avengers followed suit. Fury opened the door and they filed in.

Bucky was having a strange day, though certainly less strange than yesterday. Yesterday, he was woken up, been greeted by a pirate, told that his best friend Steve was a superhero, told nothing about his second best friend, and, oh, yeah, been told that he was seventy years in the future. So, yes, yesterday was odd. Today had started out slightly better. His breakfast had been crap but he was greeted by a slightly less piratey agent named Coulson and told that he was finally get to see Steve. He was slightly worried about that, because he had no idea how well Steve was functioning with Tony. That boy had been his reason to get up every morning. So when the door opened and he saw more people than the pirate agent, he raised his eyes to see Steve with a little trepidation and a lot of joy.

"Bucky," Steve breathed and then found himself crossing the room and wrapping Bucky in his arms. And suddenly he felt a little better, like another piece of him had come together again. It was something he felt since he was unfrozen, like he was missing parts of himself. And he didn't think that it was missing the time period. More like missing people. Right then he couldn't spare a thought to imagine who else held a part of him that he needed to get back.

"Steve," Bucky said, hugging him the best he could with his one arm. If having to readjust to a different time period wasn't enough, then having to do it while adjusting to only one arm was even worse. When he finally managed to raise his eyes, and undeniably, it was quite a time before he managed, he was shocked to find himself staring right into Tony's eyes.

"Tony!" Bucky said. He released Steve and only after a brief moments pause to wonder why pirate agent had not informed him of Tony's survival too, he crossed the room and gave Tony an awkward yet warm one armed hug. Tony sagged into his grip as though suddenly a load had been pulled off his shoulders.

"Wait, you know Tony?" Steve asked confusedly. Bucky stared back at him just as confusedly.

"Wait, you don't?" Bucky asked in alarm.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bucky couldn't understand. How could Steve not know Tony? This was their Tony; the way that he had accepted his hug was proof of it. Plus, being this close Bucky could see the chain to his dog tags. So how could Steve not know the boy he thought the world of? Despite the way that Bucky could tell his face was loaded with makeup, he could still see Tony shining through.

"Well, yes, of course I know him. We're on the same team, the Avengers," Steve said. Bucky directed his gaze to Tony who had remained silent throughout this exchange, the relief making him stupid. At Bucky's gaze he snapped out of it and shook his head in one silent jerk, telling Bucky not to question it, he would tell him later.

"How do you know Tony?" Natasha asked curiously. Bucky kept his arm around Tony because if Steve didn't remember Tony then he definitely needed a hug more than Steve.

"I came to work on a prosthetic arm for him early and we talked a little," Tony said, thinking quickly on his feet. He suddenly felt so much better with Bucky's arm around him. Of course, Steve's arm would have been much better, but beggars couldn't be chooser.

"You knew about him and you didn't tell me?" Steve asked, feeling a pang of hurt. That put a slight dent in his trust in Tony. Not much, however. His body and mind seemed to trust Tony before he even really thought about it. Tony forced himself to meet Steve's disappointed eyes that hurt, hurt, hurt, him.

"Didn't want to share," He said, smirking carelessly like they all expected him to. He was glad that Bucky tightened his arm around him because everybody's frowns cut him like knives.

"Is he coming to live in Stark Tower with us?" Clint asked Fury. The helicarriers used to be where he felt safest but now all they held was bad memories. He wanted to get out of there as soon as he could.

"Of course I am," Bucky said, because his best friends needed him, Tony to keep him from being reckless and drowning in misery and Steve from hurting Tony unwittingly.

"It is my tower, Barton," Tony reminded Clint. He liked Clint, really, and he was a great guy for a SHIELD agent, but he wanted to make sure they remembered that they did not own him or his property.

"Semantics," Clint waved an dismissive hand and Tony pouted at the stealing of his usual line, watching as one by one the Avengers filed out of the room. Bucky wound an arm around Tony as they walked out of the door together.

"You own a tower?" He asked in an undertone. But Tony was far too sad to find amusement in Bucky's teasing. Bucky jostled him and then looked ahead, following Tony's eyes to Steve's broad shoulders. "Hey, don't worry Tony. We'll make things right."

"Nothing will ever be right without him," Tony whispered brokenly back and Bucky swore his heart was breaking in sympathy.


	4. Disclaimer, not a new chapter

Since I forgot to put this before and I don't yet know how to edit published stories- Any recognizable features of this story DO NOT BELONG TO ME!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own none of the publicly recognizable features of this story. I just like to manipulate them as if I was Loki and I had the tesseract.

Chapter 4

Steve sat on the couch next to Bucky, their shoulders touching as he showed him the easiest way to use the remote. It was weird, he decided, to be on the other side of this experience. He was so used to being the one that something had to be shown to instead of the one who was doing the showing that he kept staring at the remote as if he expected all the knowledge he had about it to disappear and for him to have to call Tony in to help him.

As Bucky leaned over and pushed one of the buttons clumsily, startling when the TV flashed on. His movements were clumsy as he leaned forward and used his still existing arm to prop up his chin and Steve felt guilt flash low in his stomach as he looked at the nub where an arm had once been.

"Hey, what's with the face?" Bucky looked over at Steve, knowing exactly what Steve was thinking but hoping that maybe saying it out loud would force him to realize how stupid he was being. Steve stared back evenly at him, a memory flashing behind his eyes, a different face with dark hair, an accompanying finger poking jovially into his cheek, but it was gone before he could see the details, could remember when a moment like that had happened.

"I'm sorry Bucky," Steve confessed, his voice barely breaking. "If I had saved you just a moment sooner, if I had grabbed you just a bit faster, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"What mess?" Bucky challenged, raising his eyebrows. "I mean, being in the future is a bit odd, but I still have everyone I care about around."

"But, your arm," Steve ducked his head, gazing at Bucky tearfully. "I'm just, I'm sorry Bucky. I didn't mean to fail you."

"Steve," Bucky looked straight at his best friend, seriousness looking unnatural on his usually easy-natured face. "You haven't failed me. Never have, never will. And even if you do, I can take care of myself. Because I'm with you, until the end of the line." He wasn't surprised at all when Steve leaned over and carefully wrapped his arms around him. His best friend had always been a hugger. Bucky liked that about him, even though you would have to torture him to admit it. It was nice to know that no matter how big Steve's shoulders were they were always there for him to lean on.

A floorboard creaked and both heads, one dark and the other one light turned around to spot Tony standing uncertainly in the doorway.

"Hey Tony," Bucky raised his one hand in greeting, barely holding back the desire to tell Tony to get over here and not so subtly dump him into Steve's lap. He watched as Steve's eyes lit up as they ran over Tony's body.

"Was there something you needed?" Steve asked as Clint pushed past Tony into the room.

"I, um," Tony was uncertain, which seemed so completely out of place that Steve started to get really worried. "I need Bucky."

"Oh," Steve said, trying not to let his disappointment show. Bucky squeezed Steve's shoulders one last time and then got awkwardly off of the couch and walked towards Tony. Jealousy erupted in Steve's chest.

"Don't worry, he's probably just going with him so Tony can work on his arm," Clint said from where he was fiddling with a game controller. Steve frowned in confusion and then gave a short laugh when he figured it out.

Clint thought he was jealous because of Bucky.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Marvel owns these guys, not me, no matter how much I wish of eyelashes, stars, and birthday cakes.

A/N: I know nothing about technological engineering so if it doesn't make sense, just go with it okay?

Chapter 5

"Stop moving," Tony warned, barely looking up from where he was fiddling with the wires on the arm he had whipped up quickly for Bucky. It was a bit like the Iron Man armor except it was wired to notice the movement in Bucky's shoulder and move accordingly as if it was a real arm. It was brilliant and Bucky was amazed that Tony had made it in such a short time.

"Like you're one to talk," Bucky snorted, nonetheless stilling his movements. "You fidget all the time."

"I do not," Tony protested, only on principle. He knew he moved incessantly but he couldn't help it. His thoughts were always racing and jumping around in his head and sometimes his body felt the need to try to catch up.

"You do too. Even Steve, the man who was oblivious to all your faults, told you that you fidgeted." Bucky said and then instantly regretted it as he watched Tony's face fall. "He doesn't remember anything about you, does he?"

"Not a thing," Tony shook his head, trying to keep tears out of his voice. "I think the crash with the ice must have knocked something loose in his brain because he doesn't remember a single moment with me. I keep trying to repeat things I said to him frequently but so far nothing has worked."

"Have you tried I love you?" Bucky asked. Tony shot him a look and he laughed. "Okay, I see your point about that. But you should probably take off all this makeup." Bucky reached out and rubbed a single finger across Tony's face, his finger coming back a different color. "I almost didn't recognize you and I don't even have brain damage."

"You do realize that the rest of the team will suspect something is up, right?" Tony asked.

"But if it makes Steve remember…"

"Then it's worth it," Tony said, surprised that Bucky even had to ask. There was nothing Tony wouldn't do to get back Steve's love, unless it was killing, because Steve would hate that. He refocused on the wires, fusing two together, and then looked back up at Bucky, unable to resist. "Do you think there's a chance?"

"Tony, I have faith that wherever or whenever you and Steve go, love between the two of you has more than a fighting chance." Bucky said. Tony looked away for a moment and then looked back, a weak but sincere smile on his face.

"Listen to you, Bucky, waxing poetic. Careful or people might think you actually have a _brain_." Tony said in faux horror. Because that was what they did. Tony and Bucky's friendship consisted entirely of making fun of each other and Tony was glad to have him back. If he couldn't have a Steve who remembered him then he was glad at least to have a Bucky who remembered him.

"Shut up," Bucky said and for a moment forgot himself, leaning forward to elbow him with an arm that wasn't there. He watched in amazement as the silver arm Tony had made for him elbowed Tony in the ribs, looking just like a real arm. "That's amazing,"

"Sir, Steve is trying to gain access. Would you like for me to allow him in?" JARVIS asked. Tony looked out through the glass and saw Steve in all his six foot two glory, his brow furrowed adorably as he punched in his code. The air immediately got electrified when he noticed Steve, as if that beautiful smile could actually start electrons vibrating.

"Go ahead J, Bucky and I are done telling secrets anyway," Tony said, rolling his chair away from Bucky and tossing a screwdriver onto his already cluttered desk and then rolling towards the door as Steve entered. "Hey Steve."

"Hi Tony," Steve greeted him with his amazing smile. Tony ignored the foolish flutter in his heart. Honestly, despite Bucky's faith, it was beyond impossible that Steve would not only make the mistake of falling in love with him once but then make the same mistake again.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: None of these beautiful people belong to me. Bummer.

A/N: I want reviews.

Chapter 6

"Here Steve," Tony passed the bowl filled with buttery popcorn down to Steve, suppressing a shiver when their fingers brushed each other's, and then rounded the couch and sat down next to Bucky. Lord knows he wanted to sit next to Steve but he doubted that he would be able to control himself from touching him if he did so. Back, before, Tony and Steve used to be constantly touching, sitting close enough that their hips touched, Steve putting his hands on Tony's shoulders as he watched him work, Tony winding his arms around Steve's neck as Steve drew or ate, or read the newspaper. Bucky used to complain all the time about how he knew that they felt they had to be attached at the hip but they really didn't because it was nearly impossible to brush past both of them in their small apartment. Tony still maintained the fact that he was jealous that Tony could touch Steve and he couldn't.

"Thanks Tony," Steve smiled at him, his blue eyes sparkling, and that was why Tony couldn't allow himself to sit next to Steve. If he was in reach Tony would reach for him.

"You should try some of this on it," Clint offered the spice he was sprinkling on his bowl of popcorn and Tony glanced at it as it was passed between their hands. It was an exotic spice that Tony wasn't even sure he could pronounce but on the label it read extremely hot.

"You're not going to like that," Tony said absently, stealing the remote from Bruce and clicking through the channels to find the one he saw the movie on earlier.

"I'm not?" Steve asked, sounding bemused as he stared at the bottle. He liked to think that Tony would know what he liked and what he wouldn't but he didn't think that they had known each other long enough for that. It took months to form that kind of connection and the Avengers had only started living in the same tower a month ago.

"How do you know if he's going to like it or not Stark?" Natasha asked, mostly playfully. Tony pursed his lips and kept quiet because Natasha, quite frankly, still scared him. She had betrayed him and he had almost trusted her. Well, fool me once, shame on you, but fool me twice and shame on me, and all that jazz.

"I just know he isn't going to like it, that's all." Tony said stiffly, battling the intense urge to tell Natasha that he knew everything about Steve, from the way he always liked to roll out of bed on the left side (often rolling over Tony in the process), to the way his favorite time was early in the morning when the sky was still streaked with different colors, to the way he always liked to have his eyes open when they kissed because he liked watching what he was doing to Tony.

Tony shifted as he started the movie started rolling, pulling a pillow on top of his lap and curling around it.

"Well, I think Steve should decide for himself if he likes things or not," Natasha said. Tony rolled his eyes and stood up, walking to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of sparkling orange water, something the tower stocked for the sole reason that Steve loved them. He adjusted his pants while he was in there and then walked back, handing the water to a gagging Steve who tears in his eyes.

As he sat down next to a smirking Bucky, he just couldn't resist. He stared straight at Natasha as he spoke.

"I told you,"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I wish I owned these guys but alas, it isn't so.

A/N: School is starting soon. Boo. So I'll probably slow updates to about once a week.

Chapter 7

"_What're you drawing?" Tony leaned over, his chin rested on Steve's bony shoulder. _

_ "You," Steve admitted, flipping shut his sketchbook and rolling over so he was lying next to Tony's warm body. He was always cold these days, even after Tony had fixed the radiator._

_ "Ooh, can I see?" Tony reached for it around Steve and Steve curled around his sketchbook defensively, keeping his back to Tony's warm middle._

_ "No, you can't look at it," He said, grabbing Tony's hands when they continued to search for the book. His hands always felt incredibly thin in Tony's. It wasn't as if Tony's hands were large or anything, they were just calloused and capable, and Steve's own slender fingers always felt weak by comparison._

_ "But Stebe…" Tony whined, placing warm kisses on the back of his neck. "Please?"_

_ "Just because you kiss me doesn't mean that I'm going to tell you yes," Steve said, though it was entirely untrue. _

_ "Liar," Tony nipped the back of his neck in retaliation. Steve rolled over and caught his lips with his own, hands going to Tony's hips to pull him closer. _

Steve woke up abruptly, gasping for breath. He supposed it wasn't as bad as having a nightmare but these dreams, and his reactions to them, were embarrassing. Yes, he knew he had an obnoxiously painful crush on his teammates. Because Tony was, well, Tony. He was loud and obnoxious but he was also nice and funny and just, big. Not in height, but in personality. And Steve couldn't help but think that maybe Tony's personality was exactly what Steve's needed to be balanced out.

"Do you require assistance Mr. Rogers?" Jarvis asked. Steve pulled his blanket off of his legs and got to his feet.

"No, I'm fine Jarvis. And I told you to call me Steve," He chastised, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. There was no way he was going back to sleep after a dream like that and he might as well burn off all of his extra energy now, before everyone was awake. "Would you tell Tony that I've gone for a run, if he asks?"

"Of course," Jarvis assured him. Steve pulled on his sneakers and he swore, as he left, that Jarvis continued, saying, "There is no doubt that he will ask."

Well, at least Steve had an AI rooting for him.

"Hi," Tony said and Steve just about jumped out of his skin. Tony laughed, a loud joyous noise that Steve absolutely adored, and the lights flickered on dimly. "Sorry, I thought you saw me."

"What are you doing up so early?" Steve asked, sitting down a fair distance away from Tony at the table because he wasn't sure how nice he smelled right now.

"Drinking coffee," Tony replied easily. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Going for a run," Steve replied just as easily. He stared at Tony through the darkness, noticing how young he looked in the dim light. "Thanks for helping with Bucky's arm."

"Eh, he's my friend too, Steve," Tony waved off his gratitude with a careless wave.

Suddenly the lights flickered on and both of the men jumped as Natasha sauntered into the room.

"Why were you two sitting in the dark talking?" She asked, not looking at them as she helped herself to some of Tony's coffee. She turned around with a mug clutched between her hands and stared in shock at Tony. "Stark, did you get plastic surgery while we were sleeping?"

"No," Tony said stiffly, rubbing a hand along his facial hair.

"Then why do you look so young?" Clint asked, jumping out of the vent.

"Because that's the way I look." Tony said defensively.

"You do not look like you're in your twenties," Natasha said. "At least usually."

"Leave him alone," Steve said, trying not to let his desperate need to protect Tony show through. He stood up and walked to the fridge. "I'm making pancakes, who wants them?"

As he mixed the batter to the chorus of 'me's, he pretended that the grateful look Tony sent him did not, absolutely not, make his heart flutter.

Because that would be just ridiculous.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Though I would probably feel obligated to share at least one of them with my sisters if I did.

A/N: Gimme reviews. (Because I am a demanding brat.) Also, is Jarvis all the way capitalized? Does anybody know?

Chapter 8

Bucky had to admit Tony had made it out pretty well in the future. He was rich, which Bucky had never seen coming, (despite all the times Steve had said Tony was simply _brilliant)_, and he had a family. Well, he had always had Bucky and Steve, but he had been a scrawny little orphan, with too big of a brain and mouth. Now, well, he still had too big of a brain and mouth, and he was still scrawny and little, but he was not an orphan by any stretch.

Tony had found a family for himself and Bucky wasn't even sure if he knew it. It was quite clear that the people that surrounded him cared for him deeply, even if they didn't show it. Tony had a family, he had money, who he was was accepted. He had everything he ever wanted.

Almost.

He had almost everything he wanted. Because as he stared across the table at Steve, most likely thinking that he was being subtle, it was appalling clear what exactly made him so sad even though he was so successful. Bucky liked to pretend that he didn't do emotions, but Tony was his friend, so he understood him. And yes, he had always wanted to be successful, but only if he had Steve by his side to brag about it to.

"Pass the broccoli to Tony, will you Bruce?" Steve asked from where he was sitting beside Bucky.

"I don't want vegetables," Tony whined, and for a second Bucky could pretend that everything was normal in the world. But then, as the bowl was passed from Bruce to Steve and then Steve to Tony, reality hit again. Because there was no way, if everything was normal, that their fingers wouldn't have lingered on each other's, and just the fact that they were sitting across from each other instead of so close together that their arm's brushed, was another painful reminder of the wrongness of the future.

"You may think that you can run on only coffee and things bad for you, Tony, but it's not true," Steve said. Tony pouted at him, which Steve resolutely did not think of as _cute_.

"It is true," Tony argued. "I'm _evolved_, Steve. I know you might not understand this, as you're not a scientist, but that means I am better than all of you, and I can survive on coffee."

"You are not higher up on the evolutionary ladder than we are, Tony," Steve rolled his eyes, and Tony felt like he was suffocating, like the arc reactor was suddenly not working, and he just had to get out of there.

He retreated to his lab, telling Jarvis to not let anybody in, under any circumstances, and wedged himself underneath one of the tables. He hadn't cried since the first time he had found himself in the future, away from Steve, but his shoulder shook with emotion and his breath was ragged as if tears were spilling down his face.

"Sir, Mr. Barnes is trying to gain access." Jarvis informed him. Tony crawled out from under the table and pulled himself together.

"You can let him in J," He said, sitting down in his favorite wheelie chair. Bucky walked into the room and sat across from Tony, silently watching him for a couple moments.

"It's just so hard," Tony finally admitted. "Because he is still Steve, and I can still talk to him, and I still trust him, and it's like nothing has changed, but then I get the urge to kiss him and I'm forced to realize that Steve would no longer be okay with that, that he doesn't remember that used to have the feeling of my lips memorized, that I used to live in his arms for hours at a time."

"Have you ever considered that he might still love you, even if he doesn't remember you?" Bucky asked.

"Even if I was lucky enough for that to happen again, and I doubt it will, I couldn't live with myself not telling him about that major part of me," Tony admitted. He ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "And if I tell him, well, you know Steve. He would feel terrible and try to force himself and push himself too hard until he got hurt."

"I see your point," Bucky admitted. "But you know, I don't know why you think that you don't deserve Steve. You're his world, Tony. He loves you."

"No, Bucky, he used to," Tony corrected, his mind in the past, when those beautiful blue eyes used to sparkle at him, greet him early in the morning every day. And Bucky knew that no matter what he said, he wouldn't be able to convince the idiot that Steve was absolutely in love with him, with or without the memories.

Only Steve would be able to do that. And Tony was right about one thing. Steve could not be told of their forgotten past, or else he would hurt himself.

And that would only hurt Tony more.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I own nothing, Marvel owns everything.

A/N: I would love reviews. Just love them.

Chapter 9

Steve was on cloud eight.

Now, he knew that it was cloud nine. He was not clueless, no matter what lies Tony was going around telling about how he didn't know how to work the dishwasher. So yes, he knew that the technical term was on cloud nine. But he was pretty sure to be on cloud nine you were supposed to have everything you ever wanted.

He didn't.

Sure, he had Bucky back for at least three weeks by now, and thinking that every time made him feel like his head was being pulled above water he was previously drowning in, and he had a family. He had people he could tease and be teased back by, someone who would spar with him just as easily as they would lounge lazily in front of the television with. And he had food, something that someone who lived through the nineteen thirties would never take for granted. For goodness' sake, he could actually run up the stairs without passing out from a lack of oxygen.

His life was great.

But it could have been better.

He knew he was selfish for thinking that, because he had been given so much already, but it was kind of hard when he was sitting on the couch, his eyelids starting to droop closed, the TV playing softly in front of him, his team around him, and Tony leaning comfortably against his shoulder, his soft hair gently tickling Steve's chin in his sleep.

He was probably a terrible person for taking advantage of this, but he couldn't help but wrap an arm around Tony's waist, pulling him closer. Tony shifted in his arms until he was almost on Steve's lap, nuzzling into Steve's neck.

If you asked anyone else they would probably say that they didn't think Tony was one who would partake in cuddling, but it made sense to Steve in a way he couldn't explain. It was one of those things that Steve just knew about Tony without knowing how he knew, like how he knew Tony slept sprawled across the bed, or how he hated socks with surprising passion.

It was kind of like the dreams he was continuing to have, every night. They were unexplainable, but they made such sense, in a weird way. The Tony in Steve's dreams was exactly like the Tony not in Steve's dreams. For instance, one night he dreamed of Tony telling him that he liked his sandwiches halved into triangles and the next day when he did the same without thinking, he was surprised to find Tony smiling at him and telling him that was his favorite.

It was confusing, and not only because Steve was always skinny Steve in his dreams. It was far too confusing to think of when Steve was so close to being asleep. So he was content to just close his eyes and bask in the heat of Tony's body leaning against his.

* * *

When Steve woke up he was on his back on the couch, warm and comfortable despite the fact that the lumps of the cushions did not match up with the natural contours of his body. Something shifted on top of him, arms wrapping around his middle, and Steve froze, cautiously opening his eyes.

Oh God. It was Tony.

Steve had assumed that Tony would have eventually gotten off when he had woken up in the middle of the night. Or that he would have woken up and come to his sense. Not that they would wake up together.

Tony moved again, clearly waking up, and Steve steeled himself for what could quite possibly be the worst conversation of his life. Tony's brown eyes flickered open, squinted at Steve, and then shut again. Repeated the process.

"Oh, _Steve_," Tony said, scooting quickly off of Steve's lap.

"Morning Tony," Steve said, rubbing his neck awkwardly and pulling his legs in towards his chest so Tony could sit on the end of the couch. He searched for words, but he was at a loss, so he finally gathered his courage and just leaned forward, pressing his lips to Tony's.

It was short and chaste and Steve's shyness caught up with him quickly, so he leaned back and looked at Tony.

"I can't," Tony confessed, standing up and nearly running away from him.

Steve thought that his heart was broken when he woke up and realized everyone he loved was long gone. No, his heart was only splintered then.

This was what a broken heart felt like.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Give me reviews or give me death! (Also, I'm not suicidal, that was just based off of give me liberty or give me death.) I think we're going to get to the good part in this chapter. Never mind, we didn't.

Chapter 9

_He can't?_ Steve thought brokenly, looking at the door Tony had fled from. What did that mean?

He stood up and followed after Tony, because if he was one thing, he was stubborn, and he never stood down from a fight, even when he was less than a hundred pounds soaking wet. And until Tony told him in certain terms that he did not want him, he would not stop fighting for his love.

He walked down to Tony's workshop, punching in his code.

"I regret to inform you, but your code no longer works." Jarvis informed Steve. Steve looked around the door through the glass, catching sight of Tony. His fingers were blurring as the moved over a screen, his eyes steadfastly not leaving his work.

Steve tried to pretend that didn't hurt as much as it did. Even when they were fighting, that first time, Tony had looked him right in the eye.

Steve sat down in front of the workshop, content to sit there until Tony came out or passed out. (Then he would break the glass.) He was going nowhere.

* * *

He was still there.

Tony couldn't believe Steve was still there.

It shouldn't have surprised him, because the man was the most stubborn person Tony had ever met. But it did, because he didn't think that Steve cared enough to wait outside for him. Perhaps once, but not any more.

But he was still there.

Tony spared a glance at Steve's broad shoulders.

Why was he still there?

* * *

Steve shifted his sock once and then tried again, trying to match the annoying line with his toes. His socks were the star spangled ones that Tony had bought him for a joke but Steve liked them, as they were warm and actually fit over his ankles. It was strange, when he had first been changed, to realize that most everything on him was bigger. On his bad days, when he felt like he wasn't him anymore, because they had made him into a dancing monkey, he would spend time in front of the mirror, picking out what was the same. His jaw, for one, and his eyes were also a constant. His ears and his hair remained the same as well.

"Steve," Clint appeared. "We have a mission to go on,"

"Oh right," Steve said, shooting a disappointed look towards were Tony was still puttering around in his workshop. He supposed it was good, though. He'd rather Tony have this time to come out and get something to eat before disappearing again without him thinking Steve had given up on him. And it was only a quick one. He banged on the glass and Tony jumped but didn't look at him. "We're going on a mission, we'll be back soon."

* * *

Tony stared after Steve, watching him until he was out of view.

"Be safe," He whispered after him.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

A/N: I just gave you three chapters in a day, you can give me a review, even if it is only two words. (It can't be one, I have _standards_.) For those who are confused, either in the next chapter or the one after that everything will be explained to the best of my ability.

Chapter 10

Tony cautiously wandered upstairs, not putting it past Steve to hide and then ambush him once he got upstairs. When he got to the kitchen there was no Steve, something he thought would never be glad of, just Bucky and Bruce sitting at the table. Tony went to the fridge and pulled out an apple before sitting on the counter beside Bucky.

"You should tell Steve to leave me alone," Tony informed Bucky. He didn't look up from where he was playing checkers with Bruce. "Really, you should,"

"I would have thought that you would have liked it," Bucky said, idly moving one of his players.

"No, he's being annoying," Tony complained. "Plus, he's there, but I can't touch him, and he's driving me insane."

"He's probably just intimidated by you," Bucky said, frowning when Bruce took one of his pieces.

"Why would Steve be intimidated by me?" Tony squawked, leaning back against one arm.

"Because, you're experienced," Bruce piped in.

"Yeah, by him!" Tony protested to Bucky. Bucky shrugged.

"But he doesn't remember that," Bucky said logically.

"Plus, he kissed me!" Tony blurted, not remembering that he was trying to keep that little factoid hidden until he couldn't.

"He did what?" Bucky asked, abandoning the game, because frankly, that kind of loss was bad for his reputation. He punched Tony in the arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because nothing is going to happen because of it," Tony said, punching him back. Bucky sent him a look and punched Tony again, this time in the stomach. Tony abandoned his apple and launched at Bucky, wrestling them down to the ground.

"Ow, you…" Bucky growled, interrupted as Tony playfully pushed him in the jaw.

"Ow, that actually hurt," Tony complained as Bucky rolled him into the table. The table buckled, probably weakened by the last time Thor had slammed a hand down on it, crashing down on top of them, and Bucky punched it off of them with his metal arm, sending it flying and smashing into the vase Phil had bought. Bruce wisely retreated around the corner before he got hit with something.

"We're going to get in trouble for that," Tony paused, his knees pinning down Bucky's thighs.

"I'll tell them it was you," Bucky said, flipping Tony over his shoulder in what decidedly was an army move.

"Hey," Tony protested, grappling Bucky's shoulders. "You can't use the moves Steve taught us in the army."

"I can if I want," Bucky said. Tony flashed him a look and then used his hips and shoulders to push Bucky up and off of him. Bucky flew through the air and landed on his metal arm on the glass coffee table, shattering it easily.

"Hey! I paid a lot of money for that!" Tony complained. Bucky stood up, calmly brushing the glass off of his shoulders before pouncing on Tony, both of them hitting the sofa roughly. Tony picked up a pillow and smacked Bucky in the face with it, cackling wildly.

"What is going on?"

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Steve stared with wide eyes at the mess around him, stepping cautiously around the glass. Bucky and Tony peeked over the couch's back, eye's wide.

"James did it," Tony said, pointing at Bucky in the same moment that Bucky spoke.

"Anthony did it," He said, pointing a finger back at Tony.

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly he choked, images flickering quickly behind his eyes.

_Brown eyes sparkling at him, mouth curled in a smile as a hand was held out to him. _

_ "You call that fighting?"_

_ Warm laughter echoing throughout the apartment as a tan arm and pale arm threw socks into the bucket in tandem. _

_ "You have the worst aim I've ever seen."_

_ Soft lips pressed against his, moving in rhythm._

_ His bed made warmer by a second body curled around his. _

_ "Love you, Steve."_

_ Brown eyes peering out at him from under an army helmet. _

_ "Where you go, I follow,"_

_ A body pushing him away from the edge, just as a blast fired, hitting the body and sending the body flying over the edge, straight down into a river of Russia._

_ Brown eyes. _

_ Warm hands._

_ Messy hair. _

_ Tony. _

_ Tony. _

_ Tony. _

_ "Love you forever, baby," _

"Steve, baby, breathe, you're okay, breathe, what's wrong, what hurts, breathe," Warm hands cradled his jaw, knees on either side of his hips, and Steve's eyes fluttered open to stare at the man who meant the world to him.

How had he forgotten Tony?

"Tony," He breathed. Tony looked worriedly down at him, gently disentangling his hands from where they were clutching at his hair.

"What happened Steve?" Tony asked. Steve shook his head, wrapping his arms around Tony's hips.

"No," Steve protested. "Tony," He repeated, trying to fuse all the love and warmth into the one word that he could. Tony's hand trembled as he pressed his fingertips to Steve's lips, looking at Steve with a fragile look.

"Steve?" He asked. Steve nodded and Tony's face crumpled into a smile as he moved forward and pressed his face into Steve's neck, Steve's shirt becoming damp. Steve pressed his nose into Tony's hair; breathing in Tony's familiar scent that he didn't realize was so familiar until a second ago. "I love you."

"Love you forever," Steve promised.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Marvel is the boss. Of everything. And the owner of a lot of universes. I wish I owned Stony. I would spend all day just watching them be cute.

A/N: Here is the explanation that you all probably need. I've tried to cover everything, but if something doesn't make sense, comment, and I'll try to explain it in the next chapter. Also, the timing may be a little off, so if you do a little math and it doesn't make sense, then just roll with it, please.

Chapter 11

Bruce liked to think that he was a fairly intelligent person. He certainly wasn't as smart as Tony, but really, no one was, so it wasn't a big disappointment for him. But he had a couple doctorates, and he had more than a couple papers published in respected magazines. So he was pretty smart.

That being said, he still had no idea what was going on right now.

Sadly, this was a feeling he was rather accustom to, what with living with the Avengers.

But he had thought that he knew a lot about this particular situation. He and the rest of the Avengers had smirked and rolled their eyes many a times at the obliviousness of the Steve and Tony situation. They were so obviously in love with each other that it was sickening.

"I can't believe I forgot you," Steve whispered, resting his forehead against Tony's. Both of the men's faces were wet with tears and Bruce could see that their shoulders were shaking slightly from emotion.

"Um, what?" Clint asked. Tony and Steve looked up at the same time, and then at each other, communicating something between their eyes.

"I have something I need to tell everyone," Tony said, getting off of Steve's lap and taking Steve's hands between his, pulling him up.

Bruce followed after them, wondering what exactly Tony could think that he needed to divulge. The man had many different armors that protected his true self from the outside people, but living with the man told you many of his secrets.

Tony and Steve stopped abruptly in front of him and Bruce stopped before he could run into them.

"Oops?" Tony offered weakly. Bruce glanced around Steve to see the broken table that they all usually sat at to eat breakfast.

"We'll have to talk in the living room," Steve sighed. Tony made a face. "You guys ruined the living room too?"

"It was Bucky's fault." Tony accused, pointing at the offending man.

"It was not," Bucky scoffed. Steve waved a hand at them and they quieted.

"We can go to the kitchen on the twelfth floor," Tony suggested. They all filed into the elevator and Bruce tried to keep his eyes anywhere besides where Steve and Tony's mouths were moving together.

"Knock it off," Bucky told them. Tony leaned around Steve and grinned, though they didn't begin to kiss again. Finally they were all seated at the table of the twelfth floor and Bruce watched them curiously. The scientist inside of him was burning with curiosity.

"So, in nineteen twenty two, a boy was born to Cassandra Stark and Gerald Stark." Tony began from where he was sitting in Steve's lap. His voice was almost clinical, it was so detached. "They didn't want the child, and they made sure that the child knew it." Here Steve wrapped his arms around Tony, resting his chin gently against his shoulder. Tony's face twitched into a smile. "The boy ran away from home by the time he was fifteen. He was doing okay, really, as well as anybody could during the great depression. And then, one day, he awoke in an alley to find a fight was going on. The fighter was a small blond that had absolutely no chance of winning. So, because the boy had absolutely no sense of self preservation, he joined the fight. The two probably had less than two hundred pounds between them, and they most likely would have been killed if it weren't for the blonde's much taller and muscled friend, who saved them. Later, the blond introduced himself." Tony's fingers thread through Steve's, which were resting against his stomach. Bruce suddenly understood, though it made no sense to him. "The blonde's name was Steve Rogers. The boy's was Anthony Edward Stark."

"That makes no sense," Natasha said coolly, her voice completely devoid of shock, because that simply could not be a true story.

"We're not done," Steve said. "The blond invited the boy to come and live with them, as even though he denied it at the time he thought that the boy was incredibly cute. The boy agreed, and though he didn't pay rent, he found plenty of ways to earn his keep. He fixed all broken things in the house and the blond and his friend soon realized that the boy was a genius."

"Not true, I still maintain that he's an idiot," Bucky said. Steve rolled his eyes and continued.

"There was an undeniable attraction between the two of them, and though it was outlawed, they started to see each other romantically. They were utterly in love and luckily the blonde's friend supported them enough to hide their secret." He said.

"And everyone knows the story of how Steve became Captain America and the Howling Commandos," Tony interrupted. "Though the stories rarely tell of the one Howling Commando that the Captain was in love with. But then, on one mission, there was a blast, and the Howling Commando really had no choice but to put himself in between Steve and the danger."

"So he fell," Steve said roughly. "And the blond was inconsolable."

"Could barely get out of bed except to go on missions, which he would carry out so numbly that it was amazing he didn't die," Bucky added.

"Anyway, when he had fallen, the boy was only twenty years old. He expected it to be the end, so he was surprised to find that nearly sixty years later he woke up." Tony said. "The person who woke him, and told him about how he had been frozen, was named Howard Stark. And he was in a bit of a predicament. That was how he described it. A bit of a predicament. His son had died, and he needed someone to inherit his company. He had known of the boy, had met him while working with Captain America, and knew of his genius. He decided to switch the boy's identity with his own son's. It was appallingly simple. No one noticed that Anthony Stark's original middle name was Phillip and that Tony Stark's face had changed amazingly within two weeks."

"The boy was suddenly in a life of leisure. But it was incredibly hard. For one, the real Tony Stark had been born in the sixties. The boy was about twenty years younger. And then there was Afghanistan. And then he learned that all the money had been putting into finding Steve had paid off. The blond was found. He was overjoyed." Tony swallowed. "You can imagine my confusion when Steve didn't recognize me at all."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Stony. But I don't. Poop. I just typed this whole disclaimer without looking. I'm so talented.

A/N: Not a lot of plot in this, just a lot of fluff. (I say this as if that isn't what most of my stories are.)

* * *

Chapter 12

Tony hated emotional upheavals. They made him exhausted. Right now he wanted nothing more than to curl up on his large and comfortable bed, have Steve wrap his arms around him, and fall asleep. He missed sleeping with Steve. Well, he missed everything with Steve. But he missed sleeping the most, and not even the acts that lead up to sleeping, though those were enjoyable.

Even when Steve had been skinny and lanky he had a sort of solidness to him, enough to make Tony feel safe and warm. And once he was exposed to the sleep incentive that was Steve cuddling he never wanted to go back to the way things once were.

Tony really, really missed cuddling with Steve.

* * *

Steve carefully brushed back Tony's hair, pressing a kiss to the dark strands. Tony was warm and pliant against his chest, despite the fact that their teammates were still bickering around them. Steve looked down, unsurprised to find that Tony's eyes were drifting shut, his breath evening out. He looked exhausted, dark shadows under his eyes and drooping eyelids.

Steve pressed a kiss to his cheek and scooped him smoothly against his chest. It still amazed him that their roles were so switched, that Steve was now the one who could easily lift instead of being easily lifted. There hadn't been much time, before he was frozen, to discover this new aspect in their relationship.

Their teammates stopped talking abruptly and Tony's beautiful brown eyes flew open. He smiled gently at Steve and curled closer, clearly too tired to argue that he was not a girl, thank you very much.

"We're going to bed," Steve told the team, daring them silently to argue. They didn't, and Steve nodded at Bucky before starting up to Tony's bedroom.

* * *

Steve dumped Tony gently down on the bed and Tony gratefully curled around his pillow. Tony stared at him through half slitted eyelids as Steve paced at the bottom of the bed.

"Steve," He whined, his hand reaching.

"You want me to come in?" Steve asked. Tony, shocked that he would even have to ask, rolled over.

"Of course I want you to come in," Tony said, grabbing Steve's shirt as he passed by and yanking. He wasn't nearly strong enough anymore to actually move Steve, but Steve submitted easily, rolling gently over Tony and sliding under the blanket, holding it up so Tony could do the same. "Why wouldn't I want you to come in?"

"Well, I forgot about you," Steve said, like it was a horrible sin that he had committed. "And then those awful things I said when we first met again."

Tony fell silent as Steve's words echoed through his head.

_Big man in a suit of armor, take that off and what are you? I know guys worth ten of you. _

"That was the tesseract," He said firmly, much more sure of himself when he was assuring Steve than when he was thinking to himself. "I certainly didn't mean what I said."

"I didn't mean what I said, but that doesn't change the fact that I still said it to you," Steve said. Tony huffed, curling impossible closer to Steve's warmth and pressed a kiss to the arm he was closest to.

"I forgive you," Tony said generously. Steve shifted, putting an arm around Tony and sliding his back down on the pillows. Tony reached down and wiggled for a little bit before coming up with his jeans and tossing them to the ground before closing his eyes and pressing his face into Steve. "I missed you," He admitted, his voice fragile.

"I missed you too," Steve said. Tony turned his incredulous eyes on him and he rushed to elaborate. "I did. I obviously didn't know it was you I was missing, but I could tell that there was a huge part missing in my life. It was like when you're missing something when you get in your car, and you can't remember what it is, but you know that it's important."

"I'm important?" Tony asked in that same fragile voice, the one that broke Steve's heart.

"You're the most important thing to me ever," Steve promised, placing a kiss on Tony's forehead.

"More important than American freedom?" Tony asked.

"Yes," Steve answered, though he knew that he probably shouldn't think that way.

"More important than the team working together?"

"Yes,"

"More important than your food?"

"Tough decision, but yes," Steve said, laughing. Tony reached up and tangled their hands.

"Love you," He said.

"Love you too," Steve said, smiling softly. Tony stared at him for a couple of seconds. "What baby?"

"You're going to be here when I wake up, right?" Tony asked.

"I'm not going anywhere," Steve promised.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except a few bare minimal things and the stash of food I'm hoarding for the next depression. (It will happen, and no one will be laughing at me for my food stash then.)

A/N: We're going into uncharted territories now. I had it all planned out until last chapter but now I'm going in blind. I'll try to continue this story, but we'll have to see if I can pull it off.

Chapter 13

Natasha wanted to believe her teammates. She really did. Everyone with eyes could see that she was friends with Steve, though she had tried to keep the relationship professional. And no matter how much she complained about Tony she could tell that everyone saw right through her.

So she wanted to believe them. But what they were saying was impossible.

So she hacked into S.H.I. . and found a photo of the Howling Commandos, carefully searching through the faces. When she found the face she was looking for she rocked back in her chair, surprised. She didn't think she would actually find it, but that was definitely Tony grinning back at her. A younger and more carefree Tony, certainly, but Tony nonetheless.

She searched through the names, unsurprised to find Anthony Stark. She supposed, if she was honest with herself, which was not something she made a habit of doing, because she was a good spy, and the key to being a good spy was being able to trick the hardest enemy- yourself, that she knew all along that their story was true.

It all came down to trust.

For her to believe them, without facts, without cold hard evidence, it would mean that she trusted them. Trusting someone was a foreign concept to Natasha and if she trusted them, if, then it would mean that they were chinks in her armor, a soft spot for people to aim for. And Natasha could not allow for soft spots. But the fact that she had believed them, deep down, before she even saw the pictures, made her stomach churn.

She _trusted_ them.

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Tony curled against the hulking warmth that was in his bed, afraid to wake up and realize that once again Steve hated him, that he could not kiss Steve. His clenched his eyes shut and burrowed closer, determined not to wake up today.

Wait? Why was he sleeping? Had somebody slipped him drugs? He did not sleep without Steve. It was impossible. He had tried, but it was as he was medically incapable of doing such.

The warmth he was curled against shifted and a bulky arm wrapped around him, pulling him closer. Tony's eyes shot open and he blinked in confusion when it was Steve's blue eyes that smiled back at him.

Huh. Maybe that hadn't been a dream. But then, that meant that Steve remembered him. That he had Steve back.

Suddenly giddy, Tony pushed himself up and joined his lips with Steve's, kissing with fervor. Steve laughed into his mouth, warm hands settling solidly against his hips and Tony resisted the urge to smile wildly, if only because his lips were otherwise distracted. Steve rolled them over easily and Tony suppressed a shiver. Steve had super strength now. He hadn't really had that much time to get used to it before, but Tony decided he liked it. A lot.

PUTALINEHEREPUTALINEHEREPUTALINEHEREPUTALINEHEREPUTALINEHEREPUTALINEHERE

Clint took a bite of his cereal, chewing contentedly as he flicked a fallen piece at Natasha's hair. She shot him an irritated look and continued to chew her English muffin.

Suddenly Steve and Tony wandered into the room and Clint looked up to glare at them.

"I had to make my own breakfast this morning," He accused, irritated.

"You'll survive." Steve said idly, pouring a glass of coffee and handing it to Tony. Clint turned to glare at the shorter man, as he was probably the reason why Clint had to make his own breakfast. Tony, the jerk, just grinned mischievously and pulled down the collar of the too big shirt he was wearing, flashing a wicked hickey at Clint.

Clint suppressed a gag and looked away. Logically he knew that this was going to happen, but God, did Tony have to flaunt it at the breakfast table. Seriously? Some people were trying to eat, thank you very much. He looked sullenly down at his cereal, mixing it.

"Bucky and I were talking," Bruce started as Steve pulled out the pan, probably to cook Tony breakfast, lucky man.

"Careful, or he'll drop your IQ," Tony warned, smirking at Bucky. Bucky chucked an apple at his head and he ducked out of the way just in time.

"Anyway," Bruce continued as if he hadn't been interrupted as Steve reached out and grabbed the flying apple, setting it on the counter. "We were talking and we thought that it was weird that you were the only thing that Steve forgot. Steve, do you remember the trip to the beach were Bucky almost drowned?"

"Yeah, and Tony saved him," Steve recalled easily.

"Did you remember it before now?" Bruce asked. Steve's brow furrowed as he cracked an egg over the pan.

"I remembered it, but it was as if Tony was simply erased from the memory." Steve finally said. "I remember Bucky almost drowning, but the fact that Tony saved him was just wiped."

"Like we thought," Bruce nodded. "It's as if someone took Tony out a rewrote all of your memories."

"You suspect magic?" Natasha asked. Clint stiffened. Magic made his skin crawl. Bruce nodded and Clint swallowed with difficulty.

"Have I mentioned that I hate magic?" Tony asked.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I own nothing expect this finicky plot and the endless loads of fluff that my brain produces. I do not, however, own the guys this fluff involves.

A/N: Review please. They make my day.

Chapter 14

Bruce stared at Tony, idly stirring his cereal. The man he was looking at had his chin resting against Steve's shoulder and Bruce could tell that Steve's hair was tickling him every time he spoke by the way his nose wrinkled slightly, but he could also tell that there was no way that Tony was moving. He was struck suddenly at how happy Tony looked. He had thought he had seen Tony happy before, such as when he had finished a project or when they had just had a good fight, but it was nowhere near how he looked now. He looked positively radiant, despite the fact that they were discussing the fact that he had been removed completely from his love's mind.

"If it was magic, though, wouldn't there had to have been an enemy to do it?" Tony asked. Steve moved slightly, flipping the page in the newspaper and held up one corner for Tony to read before lowering it. Tony glanced down at the same moment that Steve held it up, as if by clockwork. It was fascinating to watch. "No one knew of our relationship besides Bucky."

"That we know of, at least," Steve reminded him.

"But if Red Skull knew about it, he wouldn't have paused before pushing it in your face, the golden boy, the one who the serum worked on, was involved in something that was _wrong_," Heavy sarcasm dripped from the word and Bruce flinched. He hadn't thought of it, at first, but now he was beginning to understand how oppressed they were simply because of who they were. It wasn't fair, that these people, his teammates, who had given him a home, who had accepted him, were shown such cruelty.

"That is a good point," Bucky said as Steve reached up with a piece of bacon. Tony snapped it out of his fingers and Steve ate what was left.

"Are they always like this?" Clint asked. Bucky snorted.

"This is mild. Wait until you walk in on them going at it," He advised. Steve flushed and Tony laughed.

"Eew man, don't put the thought into my head," Clint complained.

"I meant kissing," Bucky said innocently.

"Yeah, and Steve didn't have an asthma attack when you first walked in on us kissing," Tony said.

"I didn't have an asthma attack, I was just surprised," Steve argued.

"You definitely had an asthma attack, you couldn't breathe, Steve, don't lie to me," Tony said.

"Well, excuse me, I'm sorry if I was a little worried that my best friend for life was going to hate me because I was kissing a boy." Steve huffed.

"I'd be more worried that he would get jealous," Tony said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Please, a relationship between you two would never work, you both love yourself too much to love each other." Steve snorted.

"I resent the implication that I do not love you more than I love myself, because I'm pretty sure I've made that pretty clear," Tony said. Bruce looked at Bucky, wondering if this always happened.

"It's no use trying to stop them; the sound of them talking over each other is the sound of the universe righting itself,"

* * *

Clint grabbed his bow, tossing Natasha one of her guns and hustled out of the bedroom, pulling on his boots as he went. He met up with Bucky in the hall and walked down with him to where the rest were assembling.

"On your left," Tony's voice, familiarly robotized, sounded and Clint moved out of his way as he went zooming past, Steve's shield clutched in one of armored hands. Clint followed quickly after, curious as to how this relationship development might affect their performance in the field. To his surprise, and maybe a little disappointment, he did not find a dramatic scene full of hand holding and eternal love declarations. (He may have watched a little bit too much soap opera.) Instead, Tony just gave Steve a quick kiss, bid him to be safe, and flew away, his face plate snapping back in place. Steve stared after him for a brief second and that was it.

It was in no way something that would mess with their arrival time. And during the fight it was plain to see that nothing changed. No matter how much they loved each other, the enemy was always the thing they were most focused on in the fight. Sure, they helped each other and chattered on the comms, but that was no different than usual.

So all in all, Clint didn't care. The only reason he would have cared, about this relationship that they had, would have been because it compromised them on the field. But it didn't. Which is why he stared at Fury as if he had grown another head when he said that the relationship was unacceptable.

* * *

Steve stared, amused, at Fury. He seriously thought that he could tell them what they could and could not do? Steve hadn't allowed that back when it was law, never mind now, when it was just one man's opinion.

"Why?" Tony asked, leaning back against Steve's chest. His armor was small and compact off to the side, him having disengaged it when Fury made it clear that this debriefing might take a while.

"You cannot have any distractions on the battlefield," Fury said. Steve snorted.

"With all due respect, sir," Though that was very little, he added in his head. "I've been on a real battle field with this relationship, and I still got everything I needed to done." Too late he remembered that they were trying to keep the full story from Fury, but luckily the man presumed he was talking about a different fight.

"Their performance was not affected at all," Natasha said coolly.

"They are public figureheads, do you really want them sending this type of message to the people across the world?" Fury asked, looking around at the rest of the Avengers for support.

"What message? That's it's okay to be who you are, to love who you want?" Tony asked. "News flash, Nicolas, this is the twenty first century. It's okay to be gay. We are no longer living in the nineteen forties."

"I still maintain the fact that it will affect your fighting skills," Fury said stubbornly.

"There will always be distractions on the battle field, Director, no matter how many relationships you try to stop. This is America, and in America we fight for something, not just to fight. And for a lot of people, they are fighting for their families back home. If you think families aren't distractions, then you are sorely mistaken. And you can't have a soldier without distractions. You take away distractions and you are taking away what everyone is fighting for." Steve said. There was a brief pauses of silence and then Tony ducked down to press a kiss to his hand. Steve could easily feel the smile against his skin.

"Next time tell me when you are going to make a speech like that so I can wave the American flag behind you while you do it," Tony said, smiling softly at him. Then he turned back to the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. "I'd like to remind you that you own none of us, Fury. Tread carefully."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I own nobody. Though if I did, I would definitely own Tom Hiddleston. (I know, I know, he's not even in this story. But I _love_ him.)

A/N: This is the end. I am terrible at plot, so you'll have to answer the rest of your own questions. Or, you, know, review and tell me them.

Chapter 15

Tony climbed into bed beside Steve, smiling when his warm arm wrapped sleepily around his waist. Well, he was probably beaming. He knew that he still had to worry about the enemy that had erased him from Steve's mind, that Fury was probably incredibly angry with them and quite possibly considering launching a nuke at them (because wasn't that the answer to everything for them?), but he was quite possibly the happiest he had ever been. Even back in the nineteen forties he hadn't been this happy, as they had to keep their relationship all hush, hush. But it was accepted here. Even marriage was legal in some places.

Steve curled closer and hugged him tight.

Yes, Tony was _ecstatic_.

* * *

When Tony woke up he stretched out and then brought his limbs back in with confusion. Where was Steve? Though usually he got up early, ever since he remembered he had stayed in bed until Tony wake up, probably because he knew that Tony would have a panic attack if he wasn't there.

_Calm down,_ Tony bid himself. Steve was probably just in the kitchen or going to the bathroom.

"JARVIS, where's Steve?" Tony asked, getting to his feet. JARVIS remained silent and Tony's panic swelled. "JARVIS?"

Tony picked up the tablet that Steve had left on the side, swiping his finger across the picture of them that Steve had as the lock screen. He would admire it later.

He pulled up JARVIS' statistics and growled when he saw a bug being planted. His fingers blurred across the screen. It was a weak bug, just enough to preoccupy JARVIS and take away his ability to talk, but not enough to actually hurt him.

So basically, just enough to give them a chance to steal Steve.

No one stole Tony's Steve.

* * *

Steve knew right away, when he woke up, that he was not in the tower. He knew this because Tony was a major clinger (not that he was complaining) and Tony's arms were not around him.

He narrowed his eyes behind his lids and listened carefully. A gruff voice was talking, probably two rooms away, and it was certainly no one that Steve knew. Steve opened his eyes and ripped his wrists easily from them. It was almost pathetic how easy it was.

He opened the door, surprised that they didn't even try to lock it, and wandered down the hallway.

These people had the audacity to take him from Tony.

They were going to pay.

* * *

Steve raised a hand to protect his eyes from the glare of the sun. He punched in the phone number into the stolen phone. It didn't even finished ringing once.

"Steve?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, Tony, I'm-"

"We know where you are, we're on our way, less than two minutes." He interrupted. "Love you."

"Love you too," Steve said, smiling. He sat down to wait for the one person he would wait the rest of his life for, content in the knowledge that as long as that person was coming for him, everything would always be right.


End file.
